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How to Pray When God Can’t Keep Your Attention

I was recently interviewed by Janelle Dixon about my book Prayer for People Who Can’t Sit Still. This is the article she wrote …

I was not blessed with a quiet mind. It’s a switchboard of
extemporaneous ideas, thoughts, memories and questions that is always on,
always lit up, always busy. Did I plug in the […]

Hope is Not a Strategy

One of the reasons small churches don’t grow is because they depend on “hope” as their core strategy. But hope is not a strategy. Very few church leaders have seriously worked through the strategies and logistics of what it takes to turn Visiting Victor into a disciple of Jesus. Instead, they “hope” he’ll figure […]

Preaching Sin?

When it comes to preaching about “sin” of any sort, I’ve always been of the opinion we should confront sin in the same manner Jesus did … he only ever confronted the hypocritical religious people. He didn’t tell Zacchaeus or Matthew to stop stealing. He didn’t tell the fishermen to stop swearing. He didn’t […]

Is Your Church Really a Light On the Hill?

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.Matthew 5:16

This is one of those y’all commands – a command given not to an individual, but to the church, the community, the ekklessia (Greek you=2nd person plural, that is “y’all”).

And […]

Judge Not? Not!!

“You can’t judge me!” It was a church member who was saying that as the pastor gently explained that their unseemly behavior at the previous board meeting had been unacceptable.

“Judge not” has become the rallying cry for tolerating bullies and terrorists in the church because, well, it just doesn’t seem right to “judge” […]

Thanksgiving Reclaimed

As church leaders there are a few holidays that must be observed faithfully and treated with the utmost respect they deserve. There is Christmas, the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Then there is Easter, the day we recognize Jesus’ resurrection three days after being crucified. These are momentous […]

Member Giving: It Is Your Business

I can’t tell you how many pastors have said to me, “I don’t want to know what my members give. That’s between them and God.”

But the reality is, if you’re the lead pastor, what your members give IS your business. 

When I was a church planter, my trainer asked us, “What is the #1 […]

Keeping Leaders Focused

In your understanding of church leadership, what’s really the “main thing”?

Is it making sure the budget is underwritten?

Is it maintaining harmony with the staff?

Is it running a “tight ship,” making sure the policies and procedures and administrative tasks are all ship shape?

The list could go on. However, I contend that the “main thing” […]

Halloween Outreach

Many churches have taken a stand against any kind of the celebrating Halloween because the darkness the day and night may promote. “Because Halloween can be traced to distinctly pagan sources, it is reasonable that many believers would find some aspects of its celebration disturbing”. According to Focus on the Family’s founder, Dr. James […]